Lady Elks softball tradition growing

“A couple of the little girls stood out and you could tell they are going to be stud players. When they get to high school, I’m going to be really old and they are going to be really good." Burleson softball coach Summer Owen

After putting 47 future Lady Elks through four days of softball camp, Burleson softball coach Summer Owen is excited about her programs future.

Not only did Owen see older players including incoming freshmen, who could help her team in the upcoming season, she also saw younger players among the incoming first- through fifth-graders that will make an impact someday.

“A couple of the little girls stood out and you could tell they are going to be stud players,” Owen said. “When they get to high school, I’m going to be really old and they are going to be really good. There were some super impressive younger players. Some of the little ones had no fear out on the field, they wanted to dive and try to make plays.”

The 47 campers were the most Owen has had at any of her three camps. In 2014, she had 25 out for camp and the number increased to 33 in 2015.

“I’m seeing a solid increase each year and I’m happy with that,” Owen said.

At camp there were nine incoming freshmen and bigger numbers of incoming eighth-graders. Owen said those groups were loaded with big, athletic players who could not only play multiple positions but also hit the ball hard.

“I’m very excited for what’s coming next,” Owen said. “You can tell that these girls have been playing for most of their lives and we are about to come into a whole bunch of talent in the years to come. The incoming freshman group is going to be good and the incoming eight-grade class is very stellar.”

A bonus for Owen was a majority of her varsity players were out at camp each day. The varsity girls ran the demonstrations of how to perform various drills and then put the campers through those drills.

“Having the older girls out there made everything run smoothly,” Owen said. “It was good for the young athletes because they look up to the varsity players and it gave the older players an opportunity to get better acquainted with the younger players.”